Press Release

Philharmonic Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour and Principal Cellist Peter Stumpf Featured in Program that Includes Dvorák, Barber and Brahms

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2007, AT 8 PM (CASUAL FRIDAYS)

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 AND 25, 2007, AT 2 PM

Assistant Conductor Joana Carneiro leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in three performances featuring Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour and Principal Cellist Peter Stumpf, Friday, November 23, at 8 p.m., in addition to Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25, at 2 p.m., at Walt Disney Concert Hall. On the program for the November 24 and 25 concerts are Barber's Essay No. 1, composed in 1937, Brahms' titanic Double Concerto for violin and cello and Dvorák's stirring Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." The November 23 concert is the first Los Angeles Philharmonic Casual Fridays evening of the season and features the Brahms and Dvorák works.

Carneiro, who has attracted considerable attention as one of the most outstanding young conductors working today, currently serves as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's assistant conductor, working closely with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. In 2005/06, she assumed the position of principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon, and in 2006/07, was named official guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Chalifour began his tenure as principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1995. He performs extensively, playing hundreds of concerto performances from a repertoire of more than 50 works, and has appeared as soloist with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Neville Marriner and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Stumpf became principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the start of the 2002/03 season following a 12-year stint as associate principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Casual Fridays series concerts, which encourage audience and orchestra members to attend attired in comfortable clothes, are shorter programs without intermission and feature free pre-concert and post-concert activities for all ticket-holders to enjoy. The pre-concert options which occur one hour before the performance include the Upbeat Live event in BP Hall, which offers background information about the music featured in the program, or a cocktail pre-party in the Walt Disney Concert Hall gardens. Eric Bromberger, violinist, Fulbright nominee and recipient of a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship at Yale University, hosts the Upbeat Live events. Casual Fridays post-concert options include a TalkBack discussion with musicians held on stage after the performance or a chance to enjoy a beverage and listen to music provided by KCRW's Jason Bentley, while mingling with members of the orchestra in the Concert Hall Café.

As a finalist of the prestigious 2002 Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition at Carnegie Hall, JOANA CARNEIRO was recognized by the jury for demonstrating a level of potential that holds great promise for her future career. Since then, her profile has grown quickly, both in the U.S. and Europe, and recent engagements include performances with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the New World Symphony, the Algarve Symphony, the Mancini Institute Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She also served as assistant conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Paris Opera's premiere of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho. In the past three seasons, Carneiro was a Conducting Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a program developed and managed by the American Symphony Orchestra League with the aim of supporting the musical and leadership development of exceptionally talented conductors in the early stages of their professional careers. Carneiro was one of three conductors chosen to participate in the newly-founded Allianz Cultural Foundation International Conductors Academy in London during 2003/2004, and, as part of this program, has benefited from guidance from Maestros Kurt Masur and Christoph von Dohnányi as well as the opportunity to conduct both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. In March 2004, Carneiro was decorated by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Jorge Sampaio, with the Commendation of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique. She completed her tenure as Music Director of the YMF Debut Orchestra in June 2005, having won the Young Musician's Foundation's 2002 National Conductor Search, whose past winners include among others André Previn, Michael Tilson Thomas and Lucas Richman. In the 2007/2008 season, Carneiro continues her work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and will make her debut with the Chicago Opera Theater as assistant conductor for their production of A Flowering Tree in May 2008. A native of Lisbon, Carneiro began her musical studies as a violist before receiving her conducting degree from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon, where she studied with Jean-Marc Burfin. Carneiro received her Masters in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, as a student of Victor Yampolsky and Mallory Thompson and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, where she studied with Kenneth Kiesler.

MARTIN CHALIFOUR, the recipient of various grants and awards in his native Canada, graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 and then moved to Philadelphia to pursue studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 1986, Chalifour received a Certificate of Honor at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow; he was a laureate of the Montreal International Competition the following year. Outside the U.S., he has appeared as a guest soloist with the Auckland Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Taiwan and the Malaysian Philharmonic, among others. Chalifour began his orchestral career in 1984 with the late Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, playing as Associate Concertmaster for six years. Subsequently, he occupied the same position for five years in the Cleveland Orchestra, where he also served as Acting Concertmaster under Christoph von Dohnányi. While in Cleveland, Chalifour taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music and was a founding member of two chamber ensembles, Myriad and the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio. Chalifour is a frequent guest at several summer music festivals, including the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, the Sarasota Music Festival and the Ottawa International Music Festival. Maintaining close ties with his native Quebec, he has returned there to teach and appear as soloist with the Quebec Symphony. He also has performed several chamber music concerts with cellist Lynn Harrell at the Amelia Island Festival in Florida and at the Madison Chamber Music Festival in Georgia. Chalifour and two of his Philharmonic colleagues, Joanne Pearce Martin and Peter Stumpf, recently joined forces and formed the Los Angeles Philharmonic Piano Trio to explore the wonderful repertoire written for this combination and the trio has performed Beethoven's Triple Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl. Chalifour is a professor at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music.

PETER STUMPF is a dedicated chamber musician, a member of the Johannes Quartet and a frequent participant at the Marlboro Music Festival who has toured with Music from Marlboro. He has collaborated with Wolfgang Sawallisch in performances in Philadelphia, Saratoga, Carnegie Hall and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As a member of the Casals Hall Ensemble, he has toured Japan and the United States with pianist Mitsuko Uchida in performances of the complete Mozart Piano Trios. He also has performed in concert with the Emerson String Quartet. An active recitalist, Stumpf has performed at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, at Jordan Hall in Boston and at the universities of Hartford and Delaware. In 1999, he performed the complete cello works of Beethoven on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society Series, where he was a resident artist. As a former member of Boston Musica Viva, he has performed microtonal compositions and numerous world premieres. Stumpf has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic; he also has appeared at the Aspen Music Festival and with the National Repertory Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony. He made his Philharmonic solo debut at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2004. Trained at the Curtis Institute and the New England Conservatory, Peter Stumpf was awarded first prizes at the Washington International Competition, the Graham-Stahl Competition, and the Aspen Concerto Competition. At the age of 16, he began his professional career, playing in the Hartford Symphony. He later served on the cello faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

Casual Fridays series programs offer pre- and post-concert events that are free to all ticket-holders. They include Upbeat Live, which occurs one hour before the performance in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Eric Bromberger, violinist, Fulbright nominee and recipient of a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship at Yale University, hosts the events. The other pre-concert event option is a cocktail pre-party in the Walt Disney Concert Hall gardens. Post-concert Casual Fridays events include an onstage TalkBack discussion with musicians or a post-concert reception with the musicians in the Concert Hall Café.

Tickets ($40 - $142) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.